Mother Knows Best
by trishaj48
Summary: A mother knows when her son is hurting and Betty is no different. Things have cooled way down between him and Sara and Betty wants to help. As always I own nothing connected with CSI, I just use my imagation and write stories.


Gil sat on the plane with a million questions on his mind. The text he had received from his mothers friend simply read "911 - YOUR MOTHER". That was all, was she sick? Had she been hurt? He tried several times to get in contact with her but he was unsuccessful. For just a second he thought of calling Sara but decided against it, things have not been good between them lately and he just was not in the mood to fight with her.

Gil loved her, of that there was no doubt, but things were cold between them - ice cold. The last time he was home their house felt more like it was in Alaska then Nevada.

He had searched his mind a million times and just could not figure out what was wrong. Maybe it would be better if he stayed in a hotel, not even let Sara know he was back.

Gil blew out a deep breath, "Can't fight if I don't see her."

"Maybe she wants out," he thought.

Sara sat in her living room looking at a picture of her and Gil. How could she tell him what was on her mind, she didn't want to hurt him. She loved him, always had always will, things had cooled way down between them and it was all her fault. The last time he was home she worked double shifts just to stay away from home, she just didn't want to confront him. Something had happened, something she needed to talk to him about but she just couldn't.

Sara's phone buzzed, she had a text. Sara opened her phone and read the message from her mother-in-law.

"BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE CHATTED. COME TO MY PLACE FOR LUNCH TOMORROW PLEASE"

Sara really didn't want to because she know Betty would want to talk about Gil but she felt guilty for blowing her off the last few times so she decided to go.

"BE THERE AROUND NOON" Sara answered.

Betty Grissom sat in her living room and smiled. She hated deceiving people especially her son but she knew that was the only way he would come home. She also knew something was going on between Gil and Sara and she didn't know what, but she was about to find out. There was no way she was going to let what they have be destroyed.

If Betty were to admit it Sara was not her choice of a wife for her son but he loved her and she was beginning to get close to Sara too.

After everything that had happened at the collage a while back Betty had rethought her relationship with her daughter-in-law.

"Sara really is a sweet person," Betty thought.

Betty had no idea what she was going to do or how to do it, all she knew was something HAD to be done before the two most important people in her life made the biggest mistake of their lives.

Gil's plane landed just before noon, for a second he thought about checking into a hotel and grabbing a fast shower but a second text from Miss Millie had told him to go to his mothers as soon as he landed. Gil caught a cab and gave the cabbie the address. Just as Gil was pulling away from the airport Sara arrived at her mother-in-laws house. Sara said a silent prayer that Betty would not mention Gil. Betty met Sara at the door.

"Welcome," Betty signed, "Tea on the patio."

Sara's signing was getting much better making it easier to 'chat' with Betty.

"How have you been?" Sara asked.

The cab pulled up in front of Betty's house, Gil was surprised to see Sara's car, he paid the cabbie and headed for the door.

"Mom has to be really sick for Sara to be here," he thought.

For a fraction of a second he considered leaving, but his mother needed him. Gil rang the bell.

"I have invited a second person for lunch," Betty signed as she got up and headed for the door.

When his mother opened the door Gil was even more confused then before.

"What is wrong?" he signed.

"Follow me and I will explain," was her answer.

Gil's mouth fell to the floor when he seen Sara sitting on the porch, Sara was equally surprised to see him.

"Gil," she said.

"Sara," he said.

Betty smiled. "I see you two still remember each other," she signed.

She pointed to a set next to Sara and motioned Gil to sit.

Gil opened his mouth to say something, his mother shook her head NO.

"When I am done," she signed as she sat.

"I have never seen two more pigheaded people in my life," she started, "You are both headstrong and stubborn."

Sara started to say something but the look in Betty's eyes made her think twice.

"I have heard from several reliable sources that you both have been acting like children. I do not know what is going on between the two of you so therefore I have no idea why you are acting the way you are but there is one thing that I do know. I know that you two love each other deeply and passionately. I do know that I do not want to see that love destroyed. If your marriage is not fixable then there is not much that can done, but do not let it die without trying, do not just give up. Talk. Both of you."

With that said Betty stood and walked away, closing the patio doors behind her, she had done all she could, the rest was up to them.

Gil and Sara just sat and looked at each other neither knowing what to say. Finally Gil blew out a breath.

"Mom is right," he said, "We have not really talked for a while."

Sara nodded, "We haven't."

Gil looked at the floor then at his wife, he had to ask even though he was not sure he wanted to hear the answer. "Do you want out?"

Sara looked at him, "Do you?"

"No," he said.

"Neither do I," she said.

Gil smiled, "Then I guess we do need to talk."

"We do," Sara said, "We need to ask the hard questions that we have been pussyfooting around and we need to be completely honest with each other."

"We do," he agreed.

"It's just that…," Sara said, "That I feel…."

"What?" Gil asked.

"Alone," she said, "Abandoned? I'm not sure."

Gil took her hand, "Your not alone. You have the team."

Sara pulled her hand away, "It's not the same. I can't talk to them the way I can to you."

Gil took her hand back, clearly he didn't understand what she was trying to say, "Make me understand."

"Do you know what I did after the Branson case?" she asked.

Gil shook his head, he didn't even remember the case she was taking about.

"You don't have a clue do you?" she said.

"I'm sorry. No," he told her.

"The case I told you about where the father and brother beat and raped a 10 year old girl," Sara reminded him.

Gil half remembered her saying something about it but that particular day his mind was on a rare butterfly he had found.

"I called you," she said, "I needed to talk to you but all you could talk about was that stupid butterfly."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I went to the bar," Sara said, "I intended to drown myself in a bottle. I was going to get so drunk that nothing mattered then I was going to go to the jail and shoot them both."

"Sara," Gil said.

"Well I didn't," she said, "I ran into an old friend of mine, Jake. I talked, he listened. Then he drove me home. I can so close to sleeping with him not because I stopped loving you but because I wanted to feel love and tenderness."

Gil looked at her, not sure what to say.

"After what I almost did there was no way I could face you," Sara said.

"But you didn't," he said.

"I didn't because I puked all over him and then passed out. But I don't know if I would have or not," Sara said, "Do you ever ache for me?"

Gil told her about all the times he wished she was there to share a new discovery with him or the beauty of the sunset.

"Mostly at night when everything is still and all you can hear is the sounds of nature," Gil said.

"We have some major decisions to make," Sara told him, "I can't keep going like this. At first I thought that it would work - the whole long distance thing, but it's not. I don't want your life and you don't want mine, what are we going to do?"

Gil didn't know what to say, all this time he thought that everything was fine, he was content with the way things were but obviously she wasn't.

"I can't go back to CSI," he told her, "I can't live that life.

"I know," she said, "And the research life was good for a while but I don't always fell like I am contributing anything for me."

"I can't live without you," Gil said, caressing her face.

Sara leaned into his touch and kissed his hand, "What are we going to do?"

Gil took her hand and kissed it, "I'll talk to Dean Miller. I'm sure there is something I can do at WLVU."

"I don't want you to feel like I am forcing you into something you don't want," Sara said.

"I want you," he told her, "I need you. You are what is important."

Gil pulled her into his arms and kissed her, "I love you. Nothing in life matters if I don't have you."

Betty, who had been standing by the glass door all this time, smiled. Slowly she opened the door.

"I think you two should finish this at your house," she signed.

Gil wrapped his arms around his mother and kissed her letting her go he smiled.

"Thank you," he signed.

Betty just smiled and opened the door, "Go."

THREE YEARS LATER

Betty stood in the waiting area as Gil and Sara seen to the luggage. Walking over to her Gil signed, "You don't have to wait. The plane leaves in 10 minutes."

"I will wait," she answered.

DB walked up to Sara, "You know that your job will here when you get back. Enjoy yourself."

"We will," she answered.

Gil walked over to her and put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"It is a strange life you two have chosen," DB said to Gil.

Gil smiled, "We have never been normal. But it is working. We have never been happier and that is what matters."

Gil and Sara decided on a compromise. With the help of some very close friends the Grissom's would spend one year in Vegas with Sara as a CSI and Gil as a professor at WLVU and one year in Costa Rico as researchers.

"I guess you could say it is an odd way to live," Sara said to Nick, "But it's working. We both have what we want and our marriage has never been stronger."

Nick just shook his head and smiled, "Your happy, that's all that matters.

Their flight was called. Gil walked over to his mother, "I love you."

Betty kissed her son and smiled, "I love you too. Go."


End file.
